Men's Basketball Unveils Pre-Conference Schedule

BATON ROUGE – LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones released the Tigers 2014-15 schedule of non-conference games that includes tournament action in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a second-straight appearance in the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon and home games against Texas Tech, UMass and Southern Miss.

“We feel that we have put together a very challenging non-conference schedule that has several demanding games for our LSU basketball team,” said Coach Jones, who will enter his third season at LSU. “We think there are a number of exciting matchups that our fans will enjoy watching in the Maravich Center and we feel our non-conference schedule, including our trip to the Virgin Islands where we will have three games in four days, will certainly prepare us for Southeastern Conference and postseason play.”

The Tigers won 20 games a year ago and 39 in Jones’ first two years, the most by any coach in their first two years at LSU. LSU advanced to postseason play for the first time since 2009, getting to the second round of the NIT. The Tigers won a road game at San Francisco before losing to eventual finalist SMU.

LSU will have eight home games in the non-conference portion of the season starting with a Nov. 15 game with Gardner Webb before the already announced 8:30 p.m. CT nationally televised ESPN2 game with Texas Tech at the Maravich Center on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

LSU’s other home game in November will be on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29) against McNeese State.

In December, LSU will face UMass on Dec. 2 in a rematch of the 2013-14 season opener in which the Tigers fell, 92-90, in Amherst. The Minutemen went on to win 24 games last year and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers will also host Sam Houston State (Dec. 13), Charleston (Dec. 22 in the first of a home-and-home series) and Southern Miss (Dec. 29). Southern Miss won 29 games a year ago and advanced to the NIT quarterfinals. LSU closes out its non-conference schedule with a Jan. 3, 2015, game against Savannah State.

The Tigers' trip to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam in November had already been announced, with LSU meeting Old Dominion in the opening round on Nov. 21 at 5:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. LSU will then meet Illinois State or Weber State on either Nov. 22 or 23, with a final game against one of four teams – Clemson, Gardner Webb, Seton Hall or Nevada – on Nov. 24.

LSU will travel to West Virginia in the SEC/Big 12 challenge that will also be on the ESPN networks and LSU will finish up another home-and-home series on Dec. 18 when it travels to Birmingham to take on UAB.

Prior to the season opener, LSU will host a free-to-the-public exhibition game in the Maravich Center on the eve of the LSU-Alabama football game - Friday, Nov. 7 - against Morehouse College.

Game times and broadcast networks for the non-conference schedule will be announced along with the Southeastern Conference schedule of games later this month.

All games will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network’s flagship WDGL Eagle 98.1 in Baton Rouge and in the Geaux Zone and on www.LSUsports.net/live.

Fans can put down a $20 “Unleash The Madness” deposit on new season tickets for 2014-15 at LSUsports.net/madness and present season ticket holders can renew their 2014-15 season tickets at www.LSUtix.net.